A Native Hedge

We have used Callistemon subulatus ‘Brogo Overflow’ as a native hedge along a path. The hedge has grown in 10 years to just under 2 metres high and wide at its highest and widest. It is growing in heavy clay soil in full sun. The plants are planted approximately 1 metre apart. When in flower, which it does usually twice per year, it is spectacular and is very attractive to bees and other insects.

Left to right are views of the hedge in the spring when in bloom. On the opposite side of the path is a low growing hedge of Grevillea ‘Molonglo’.. The picture on the right was taken this March after the hedge was clipped in the spring after it finished flowering.

Callistemon subulatus ‘Brogo Overflow’ is a readily available cultivar of the species. It does best when it gets some water and tolerates heavy soil well. We clip it about every two years or so after its spring flowering. The new growth is very soft and velvety and attractive in its own right. This hedge is a good example of how you can shape native plants just as you can exotics.

After flowering this spring, we pruned the hedge and it looks like the following now in April